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Principality Members give MS Society Cymru £20,000 boost

MEMBERS of Wales’ largest building society have raised £20,000 for MS Society Cymru, Principality’s Charity of the Year.

The building society’s fundraising was given the massive boost at this year’s 154th Annual General Meeting where over 27,000 members cast their vote by post or online. For every vote received, the society made a donation to MS Society Cymru, totalling up to £20,000.

Around 250 members attended the meeting at City Hall, Cardiff, taking the opportunity to meet Principality’s new chairman Laurie Adams as well as staff and directors, hear about the society’s achievements over the past year and discover the plans for the future.

At the meeting it was announced that Laurie, who joined the Principality Board as non-executive director in August 2013, will succeed outgoing chairman, Dyfrig John, at the helm of the building society.

Laurie, said: “As a mutual building society we have no external shareholders so everything that we do is for our members, our mortgage customers and our savers.

“It is encouraging to see our members continuing to support us and we are delighted to be able to add such a large amount to our rolling total for MS Society Cymru.

“Throughout the year, our staff will be taking part in a range of events and challenges to raise money for this deserving charity that helps people throughout Wales.”

Staff at Principality Building Society’s Cardiff-based head office, 53 branches and 17 agencies across Wales and the borders voted for MS Society Cymru as their latest official charity. The MS Society’s vision is a world free from the effects of multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurological condition which affects around 100,000 people in the UK.

Karen Jones, chair of the MS Society Cymru Council, said: “We are delighted to have been nominated by Principality’s employees and are proud to be associated with them as their charity of the year. With their substantial support, from events like their AGM, we can make leaps forward in funding MS research and continue to offer vital support for the 4,000 people living with MS in Wales.”

Staff at Principality have a long history of significant fundraising for Welsh charities, last year bringing in more than £69,500 for British Heart Foundation (BHF) Cymru through a wide range of fundraising activities – from bike rides and bake sales to walks and bag packing.